Railroad-track-weeding machine



Filed May 5,

A SCHEUCHZER RAILROAD TRACK WEEDING MACHINE Jan. 26 1926..

Patented d an. 26, 1926.

UNITE STATES 1,571,099 PATENT OFFICE.

AUGUSTE SCHEUCHZER, 0F BENEHS, NEAR LAUSANNE, SWITZERLAND, ASSIG'NOR T0 FERRODESHERBE'USE SCHEUCLEIZER SOCIE'IE ANONYME, OF RENENS, SWITZER- LAND.

RAILROAD-TRACK-WEEDING MACHINE.

Application filed May 5,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, AUcUsrn Sonnoonznn, citizen of Switzerland, residing at Renens, near Lausanne, Switzerland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Railroad Track Weeding Machines, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to improvements in railroad track weeding machines and especially to a lifting apparatus for a plough employed in such machines.

It is the object of this invention not only to render the manoeuvring of the plough quite independent of the bodily strength of the attendant but to provide also means which render harmless to men and machine any untimely collision of the plough with an obstacle.

The annexed drawing represents as an example a working form of the object of the invention adapted to a Weeding machine of the kind mentioned in the above.

Fig. l is a front view showing the plough in two positions;

Fig. 2 is a view from the top of the arrangement of the driving parts and of the winch and Fig. 3 is a partial section of the winch.

According to the drawing there is under the roof a of the machine and supported by standards I) of the framing a horizontal cylinder 0 having a pair'of chain pulleys 03 mounted on its one head, said pulleys being arranged in line with chain pulleys al keyed to the axle e of the Winch of the apparatus. Two endless chains running over said pulleys d, d and attached to each side of a cross-tread f secured to the end of the piston rod of the Working cylinder 0 will drive the chain drums g on the axle e of the winch.

One end of the axle e is journalled in a partitioned stationary cylinder 2' but extends only into one of the two compartments 7c 70' of this cylinder and carries there a series of disks 2, 71 which constitute a well known brake device, said disks being mounted slidably in an axial sense but not rotary on the axle and alternately either engaged with their peripheries to ridges on the cylinder walls or engaged with their hubs to ridges on axle e. In the same compartment is is also a plate Z and a compression spring m interposed between the partition wall and plate Z. Plate and spring are carried by a shank Z which is co-axially arranged to the 1924. Serial No. 711,299.

axle e and is extended into the other compartment Z0. This compartment is provided with an inlet 0 for compressed air and with a piston 72 which is rigidly connected by shank Z to plate Z. If compressed air is admitted through opening 0 piston 'n will move to the left carrying plate Z along with it and the pressure on the disks getting released the braking effect of the disks will also be relieved.

The working of the device is as follows: By admitting compressed air through opening 0 and immediately afterwards into cylinder 0 the plough can be lifted up whenever it approaches an obstacle. If the piston of the compressed air cylinder 0 has arrived at the end of its stroke an automatic ventilation of the chamber below the piston 71. Will be caused for instance by a stop and an automatic reversing of a cock, and then at once owing to the distending compression spring m the plate Z will be moved to the right, the disks 1?, i will be pressed together and the shaft 6 of the winch will be braked and now the plough is no more held merely by an air cushion but by the mechanically braked winch and if it is desired to lower said plough this may be affected by its own weight simply by ventilating successively the working cylinder 0 and by admitting again compressed air through the opening 0 in order to relieve the shaft e of the winch.

If however it should occur that the attendant was too slow in controlling the machinery in good time for avoiding an obstacle and that while the car was travelling the plough would be caught against a sleeper no accident to car or men would result as simply the disks i i would be rubbed against each other.

As it is not new to arrange lifting devices on railroad cars for manoeuvring by means of compressed air certain tools for working the embankments I do not claim such mechanism in general, but the automatic blocking device.

Having now fully described my invention, the means in which it is to be performed that what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

In a railroad track weeding machine having a winch worked by a pneumatic cy1inder the combination of a pneumatic friction disk brake comprising a partitioned stationary cylinder having two compartments and arranged coaxially to the axle of said Winch, a journal-bearing 01 said axle provided at the end of the first of said compartments, a series of friction disks arranged in the compartment and slidably but not rotary on the extended end of said axle, said disks being alternately either engaged with their periphery to ridges on the cylinder walls or engaged With their hubs to ridges on said axle, a compression plate facing said disks, a piston arranged in the sec- 0nd compartment, a shank rigidly connecting said plate and piston, an inlet for compressed air provided in the second compartment, a compression spring interposed between said plate and the partition wall and means for regulating the admission and exhaust of compressed air into said cylinders all substantially as shown and described.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

AUGUSTE SCHEUCHZER' 

